41. Resources

Here are the sources I have found most useful on each topic.

Books

  1. Standard Bidding With SAYC, by Ned Downey and Ellen Pomer, Masterpoint Press, Toronto, 2005. This really seems to be the only printed book devoted to this purpose, beyond a little handout you can get from ACBL.

  2. 25 Bridge Conventions You Should Know (Second Edition), by Barbara Seagram and Marc Smith; with additional material by David Bird. Masterpoint Press, Toronto, 2022, and

  3. 25 More Bridge Conventions You Should Know, by Barbara Seagram and David Bird, Masterpoint Press, Toronto, are wonderfully expository with reviews and quizzes. All of the “25” series books have taught me something. One of them is on Two Over One.

  4. 2 Over 1 Game Force, by Audrey Grant and Eric Rodwell, Baron Barclay, Louisville, KY. 2009. I do not care for the 2/1 books by Hardy (on literary, not bridge, grounds).

  5. Points Schmoints!, by Marty Bergen, Bergen Press, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, 1994.

  6. Slam Bidding Made Easier, by Marty Bergen, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, 2008. A workbook is also available. This book contains the alternative hand evaluation method that Bergen devised in full detail, also with great details about control bidding and useful slam conventions.

  7. Lebensohl, by Eric Rodwell. Devyn Press, Louisville, KY, 2005.

  8. The Weak No-trump: How to Play It, How to Play Against It, by Andy Stark.

  9. Eddie Kantar Teaches Modern Bridge Defense, by Eddie Kantar, Masterpoint Press, Toronto, 1999. This part centers on leading, card play and signalling.

  10. Eddie Kantar Teaches Advanced Bridge Defense, by Eddie Kantar, Masterpoint Press, Toronto, ISBN 1-894154-03-7, 1999. This part centers on strategy, counting, and technique.

  11. Killing Defense At Bridge, by Hugh Kelsey, Faber and Company, 1966; new editions by Cassel & Co, 1992, 1997. When I have asked expert players, many of them mention this book as the one that opened their eyes. It has a sequel, More Killing Defense.

  12. Opening Leads, by Mike Lawrence, C & T Bridge Supplies, Los Alamitas, CA, 1966. This is so comprehensive it is a challenge but well worth it. My scores improved sharply after I read it. Many of Lawrence’s other writings on specialized topics, including balancing and overcalls, are similarly difficult and worthwhile.

  13. Eddie Kantar Teaches Topics in Declarer Play at Bridge, by Eddie Kantar, Master Point Press, Toronto, 2002. There are many older such books, including ones by Dorothy Hayden Truscott and William S. Root, each of which is worth reading.

  14. Card Play Technique, or, The Art Of Being Lucky, by Victor Mollo and Nico Gardener. B. T. Batsford Ltd., London, 1955.

  15. The Play of the Hand At Bridge, by Louis H. Watson. I first read this at age 12, when I had nobody to play with. I probably picked it out because it was one of the biggest books in our little public branch library. First published in 1934, nowadays one reads the modernized version by Sam Fry, Jr. written in 1958. It remains one of the best.

  16. The Official Encylopedia of Bridge, 7th Edition, Brent Manley ed., published by the American Contract Bridge League, Horn Lake, MS, 2011. Everything you ever wanted to know – and the section on how to play card combinations is to be frequently consulted after you fail in that department.

Online

  1. Larry Cohen (https://www.larryco.com), Robert Barrington (https://www.learnbridge.com) and Gavin Wolpert (https://wolpertbridge.com) have articles, videos and lessons. YouTube has great content including Rob, Gavin, and Pete Hollands.

    Of particular note are some very excellent lessons at the Wolpert site that are taught by Hazel Wolpert, Gavin’s mother, called The Basics With Hazel. It really pays to have the fundamentals down cold.

  2. Marty Bergen (http://martybergen.com) has audio-visual courses in addition to books and pamphlets.

  3. Rob Barrington and Gavin Wolpert have produced five years (as of 2024) of free “Wednesday Morning Tournament” episodes on Barrington’s YouTube channel “Bridge Lesson”. Each episode is a very careful collaboration on 8 hands.

  4. Online bridge sites are booming. You can play with robots or humans or a combination of the two. There is a mechanism, different on each site, for knowing what the robots believe a bid means. Some sites are:

    • BridgeBase Online (BBO) at online.bridgebase.com is the largest site for playing bridge, including ACBL tournaments. The Beginner and Intermediate Lounge (BIL) and the Intermediate and Advanced Club (IAC) are groups that use BBO for instruction.

    • OKBridge,

    • IntoBridge,

    • Swan Bridge, and

    • Real Bridge.

    These sites are in a state of constant improvement and competition so I won’t describe them in this static medium.

  5. Bridge Winners (https://bridgewinners.com) is the premier bridge news and discussion site.

  6. The American Contract Bridge League (https://acbl.org) has a monthly bridge magazine that is worth the membership fee by itself. They can help you find a club or tournament, learn how to fill out your convention card, and explain the bridge laws.